Goodnight Julia
by Serp
Summary: When Julia meets Gren. Chased by the Martian Syndicate, Julia finds refuge in Blue Crow with the mysterious saxophonist who has in his possession a rather familiar music box.
1. The Corner Bar Stool

_After having a million ideas floating about, I decided to bite the bullet and just write this. Expect to see more of Julia in later fics, since I think she's more interesting than people give her credit for (or maybe it's just her situation that's interesting XD.)_

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GOODNIGHT JULIA: The Corner Bar Stool

"Where the hell's she gone?" Martial Fox scoured the blackness of space for any sign of the little rented monocraft that had somehow eluded him. Shots fired at him and he turned his fighter ship round and darted forwards, seeing a glint of starlight on metal. He locked on, fired a couple of missiles and waited for the fireworks. His com blinked and he was met with the face of his partner, a guy called Don Yuan.

"You caught her yet?" Don asked, lighting a cig and leaning back in his expensive leather chair.

"No. I'm trying to right now." Fox took out his own cig and stuck it in his mouth.

Don laughed. "Yeah, she's a tough one alright."

"You're tellin' me. I thought Vicious was giving us too much information when he said she was slippery. Now I see what he meant."

The other monocraft, a Barracuda 2200, was dipping and darting between pieces of space debris, trying to escape the missiles. Julia had already managed to destroy two, but the others were closing in fast. Luckily her pursuer was taking a cigarette break. She shot at him and caught him off guard, causing his ship to spin. There was a cluster of debris not far off, so she headed towards it, hoping she would be able to get rid of the last two missiles that way.

One exploded when it hit a large rock, but the other kept coming.

Fox regained control of his ship, pissed that he'd been caught unawares. She was coming towards him, no doubt to try to shoot him again. He shot back and clipped one of the wings, sending a stream of smoke into the vacuum. She held steady, still barreling towards him like a crazy kamikaze pilot.

"What the hell?"

He jabbed at the controls, trying to avoid the bullets. One punched a hole in his fuel tank. Julia charged past him and the missile followed. Fox tried to avoid it, but Julia curved upwards so that he was directly in its path.

It exploded in a shower of wires and glass and metal shards.

Julia slowed, watching the wreckage whirl through space, flying onwards forever until it was attracted towards some larger mass.

One more dead body on her account. What a waste. Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, she took a moment to calm her nerves then checked out the area to find the nearest planet. It was Callisto apparently, one of the moons orbiting Jupiter.

She requested land fall and flashed up the fake ID Lin had aquired for her. Sometimes it was handy having friends in shady places. She was approved and descended through the atmosphere to a little seaside town called Emeraude. Like most of Callisto, it was a quiet, town where nothing much happened. The houses were frosted with fresh snow and many of the people outside wore gas masks to help them breathe in the thin atmosphere. Julia pulled on a thick coat. Her stomach grumbled as she hopped out of the black monocraft onto the snowy ground, and the first thing she did was to find a place to eat.

Henrietta's sounded like a nice place. It was a quaint little bar with armchairs and roaring fires inside. From outside Julia could see people sitting around, chatting and reading newspapers.

She pushed open the door and a couple of heads turned towards her. Some of them stayed turned. Ignoring them, she walked up to the bar and perused the drinks.

"Do you have any Emeraude specialties?" she asked the barman slyly. A big smile lit up his face. "You're in for a real treat, doll. Hardly anyone asks for Emeraude Fury. It's made a few miles away at a brewery run by a drunk and two young kids who they say eloped here for a better life. Another name for it is Love's Fury, or Liquid Callisto."

Julia put some woolongs on the table. "Sounds like my kinda drink." He went out to the back room to grab a dusty bottle. Apparently the drink wasn't all that popular.

Julia chose a lone armchair near the fire and wondered what she should do next. Vicious was still looking for her - that much was obvious. Somehow she had to shake him off. She tried Lin on the com, but the signal from Callisto to Mars wasn't the best and she didn't think he'd have anything new for her except his old slogan of "stay out of the cities and don't trust anyone".

Love's Fury turned out to be the strangest drinks she'd ever tasted. It was like the strongest alcohol, but with an icy chill. The kick came from a freezing numbness at the back of the throat, rather than the hot fire she was more accustomed to, and it was clearly full of something bad for the brain because after just one shot she started wondering what the hell she was worrying about. It was pretty obvious why nobody on Callisto drank it. Julia found herself shivering even with the heat of the roaring fire behind her.

"Well, how is it?" The barman asked as he came to collect the glass. Julia smiled, her teeth chattering. "C-Cold."

The barman shook his head, grinning. "You're one brave lady."

* * *

After leaving Henrietta's with a cup of hot, homemade chicken soup, Julia began to walk back to the Barracuda. She hoped there was a decent motel she could stay at that had warm showers and a proper bed. She sat on a bench that overlooked the pier and sipped the soup. The sky was growing darker over the icy grey sea, there were seals bobbing about in the water. Despite its coldness, Julia felt she could get used to Emeraude. It was a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Tharsis, and the people seemed friendly enough. _If Spike were here... _She leaned back and looked up at the stars. But there was no point in thinking about him right now. Soup finished, she headed back towards the Barracuda to grab her things. A few streets away, she suddenly noticed that she wasn't alone. She paused to listen for footsteps following her.

A long shadow fell in front of her.

Shit.

She ran. Someone took a shot, so she slipped the gun from her belt and looked round, trying to aim for whoever it was. She wondered whether there was another way to the monocraft, but she doubted if she'd be able to get it airborne before she was caught. More figures closed in around her, black shapes against the darkening sky. There was a convenient store ahead, a guy climbing from a motorcycle in the car park. Julia ploughed into him and scrabbled at his jacket for the keys.

"Hey! What the -? MY MOTORBIKE!"

Without an apology, Julia kicked the engine into life and turned the throttle. She sped off, the sound of gunshots following her.

Shit shit shit... Gotta get out of here... Julia wiped a tear from her eye, feeling angry that she couldn't catch a break for twenty minutes. She hit the highway and sped towards the skyscrapers in the distance. Lin had told her to avoid cities, but it seemed she wasn't safe anywhere anymore. A car pulled out behind her, men leaned out of the windows and started firing. She took pot shots behind her and one of the bullets popped the tyre like a balloon. The car rolled and exploded, causing a pile up and an hour long traffic jam.

When she was sure no one else was following, Julia paid attention to where she was going. Blue Crow. Strange name for a city. Some of the graffiti on the barriers said "No Women!" and "Bitches Not Allowed". There were advertisements for gay bars and divorce lawyers.

"What kind of lawyer advertises at the side of the road?" she muttered. At any rate Blue Crow seemed to be a pretty seedy place.

* * *

She drove until she was really lost. All she knew was that she was in Blue Crow, but she couldn't tell if it was the good part or the bad part of town. She doubted there was a good part of town. It was slow and dilapidated, a city that had given up hope. That was probably why there were no women there, Julia thought, parking in a back alley. She abandoned the motorbike and pulled her coat around her, shivering in the freezing atmosphere.

There were a couple of men standing outside a bar. The men outside were friendly, at least they didn't make any comments, and they told her there were plenty of places to spend the night, despite what the ads said.

"Probably best to try some of the gay bars. They ain't interested in women, see? You won't get assaulted or nuffin'."

"Er... thanks." She slipped inside the bar, a shabby joint called Rester House. It was warm inside and had plenty of customers. She could hear chair legs scrape the floor as people turned. Guys nudged their pals and nodded in her direction, dirty looks on their faces.

Julia took a seat on the corner bar stool. There was a man playing a saxophone on the other side of the room with long black hair and sad looking eyes. He was extremely handsome and strangely, he was playing a tune she recognized. An old song she'd forgotten about.

She lit a cigarette and sat silently, listening to his music, feeling tired. She wondered what the time was, all out of sync in the strange, perpetual half-darkness of Callisto. The barman slid a banana daiquiri across the wooden surface. She hadn't ordered one, but he smiled and said that she was the first woman in the bar since he'd been working there. Julia rolled her eyes. "Too bad. This city could really do with one."

He laughed. Some of the other men overheard and they laughed too. Julia smiled, feeling a little stupid, but it was nice to know they weren't hostile towards her. She struck up conversation with one guy who had immigrated to Callisto from Jupiter, his wife had left him and needed a place to think. Another man had left Venus because his friends didn't like the fact that he was gay. Julia discovered that most of the people who had leered at her when she came in were actually quite shy and smitten. She played a game of poker and won 500W. The whole bar gathered around to cheer her on.

After a while the music stopped and the band packed up.

The handsome musician ordered a drink and one of the men Julia was with called him over. "Hey Gren! Come and meet Julia! You two would make a great couple."

Julia went red and Gren sat down opposite her.

"Uh... Hi," Julia said sheepishly.

"Hey."

"Nice music."

"Thanks."

Julia hated awkward conversations so she opened up a little more. "What's that song you were playing? I've heard it before."

"Oh, it's just an old song I picked up." He smiled and sipped his drink. "You been here long?"

"A few hours."

"Like the neighbourhood?"

Julia laughed. "I can't tell if this the bad part or the good part of town. But I haven't been attacked yet." She looked up at her new friends. "Actually, it's kind of nice."

"Well there isn't a good part of town."

"I didn't think so."

He finished his drink and stood up. "I'd better go." He paused, "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"It's Julia."

"Hmm. Same name as the song."

She just smiled.

Gren slung on his coat and picked up the sax case. "Be careful out there, Julia."

Julia sat and chatted for a few more minutes, warm and happy. A clump of snow fell from the roof and she finally decided to head out, knowing that if she didn't find a place to sleep soon everywhere would be shut. She opened the door and found herself in the centre of a mass of men. These guys weren't Callisto natives, they were dressed in suits and were carrying guns. The Syndicate.


	2. Comrades

_I'm trying to stay as faithful to the show as I can. That said, I think Julia probably should've got wind of Gren's hormone problem, but I couldn't figure out how to write it without it practically mirroring Faye's situation. Also does anyone know what a solar transmitter actually IS?_

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GOODNIGHT JULIA: Comrades

Julia ran. She shot down two of the guys in front then turned the corner, slipping on the icy pavement. She took out another one when he ran around the corner towards her. A the end of the alley there were a couple of regular Joe's warming their hands around a barrel fire. They looked up at her approach, leering at her. Then they saw the five trained assassins running after her.

"Get her!" one of the Red Dragons yelled. A guy stuck out a foot and she tripped. "Shit... Oh shit... No no no..."

Someone pulled her to her feet and pushed her against the wall. She struggled but his grip was firm and he planted a big, wet kiss on her face. She thought the men looked like wolves, all glinting eyes and hungry smirks.

"Alright, let her go." A gun was pushed against the man's head. He dropped her and two other Syndicate boys grabbed her arms.

"Get the hell out of here." The man with the gun kicked over the barrel, sending flaming hot cinders hissing across the snow. The men didn't need telling twice.

* * *

"Yeah, we've got her. Yeah she's here right in front of me, crying like a baby." The Syndicate lackey was on a call to Vicious. His name was Don Juan - a nickname, or so he said. Julia sniffed, not wanting Vicious to know she was upset. Too late now, she supposed.

"No she's not hurt. Not yet anyway." Don looked up in surprise. "Yes sir."

Julia shivered with cold and fear. Don hung up the call, a wide smile stretched across his face.

"Your boyfriend says he wants you dead. Tonight. Ain't that a shame? Instructions are that all we've gotta do is bring back your body."

He walked towards her and she brought up her leg, smashing him under the chin with a boot.

"Fuck you, bitch." His nose was bleeding now. He dabbed at it with a sleeve. "You murdered my best friend, you wreck one of my cars, now you're assaulting me? What the hell have I done to deserve this kind of treatment?"

"You're going to kill me."

"Hey, I didn't decide this. This is all Vicious, babe. I'm just doing my job."

Julia saw a shadow move behind Don. One of the thugs beside her pulled out a gun. Don turned and suddenly, there were two almost simultaneous bangs. In the confusion Julia fell to the floor. She grabbed her gun and shot the big man coming after her, then the other one. Don was scrabbling around for his own gun, which he had dropped. Blood was dribbling from a bullet hole in his shoulder blade.

He looked up when Julia stamped on the weapon and sent it skidding across the ice. She had a gun to his head.

"Trust me, this is mercy compared to what Vicious would do to you when he finds out I got away," she said coldly.

She pulled the trigger and Don rolled over, a hole in his head between wide, staring eyes.

"Shit..." Julia looked around at the mess, then noticed a figure hunched against the wall opposite. She ran over and recognized him as the saxophone guy from earlier. Gren. He'd been shot in the leg and was pressing it as hard as he could to stem the bleeding.

"Oh shit," she said, stealing Don's scarf and wrapping it round his wound as a bandage. "I'll call a doctor..." She reached for her com but Gren pushed it away. "Don't bother. My apartment's just up ahead. Doctors always ask all kinds of awkward questions."

Julia helped him up and followed Gren's directions to a blue apartment building opposite a wide road. They entered the dingy elevator and he leaned against the railing, panting with the effort of staying upright. They shuffled down the hall and he twisted the keys into the lock.

The apartment was nicely decorated, obviously a place Gren felt at home. It was wonderfully warm inside. Julia helped Gren onto the sofa.

"Got any analgysics? Bandages?"

"Medi-kit's in the dresser. Second drawer down."

Julia helped him take off his trousers, then set about removing the bullet from the front of his thigh, using a pair of tweezers to prize it out.

"You're braver than you look," she said when he didn't scream in pain.

"I've been shot before. The war on Titan. Anyway you're quite an expert yourself."

"I've removed bullets before," she said without elaborating.

She bandaged him up and got him a dressing gown. He told her where the drinks cabinet was so she poured them each some vodka.

"I'm sorry about this," she said apologetically. "Usually I try to avoid getting other people involved."

Gren told her he didn't mind. After a moment he said, "You said you recognized that song. I was wondering where you'd heard it."

Julia was surprised at the change of subject. "It was from a guy I once knew."

"Is he the one who was trying to kill you?"

"Don?" Julia asked, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

"The man on the phone."

Julia looked uncomfortable, remembering Lin's words not to trust anyone. Gren noticed and poured another drink. "I knew Vicious," he said calmly. "We were in the war together."

Julia frowned in confusion, holding her glass between her fingers. He reached over, grimacing with the pain in his leg, and plucked a little music box from the side table. He handed it to her.

"He gave that to me. I thought the tune was nice so he let me have it."

Julia turned the box round in her hand, amazed it was here. What the hell was Vicious thinking?

She turned the handle, and they listened to the tinny melody, lost in memories. Gren sipped his vodka, watching her face. Julia stopped.

"Why did he give it to you?"

"I don't know. I wanted it." He ran a hand through his hair. "You know he saved my life on Titan... God I just don't get it." He told her of Vicious' betrayal, how he'd been forced to test addictive drugs that made him question himself and everything he believed in.

Julia listened intently, amazed by how cold Vicious had become. She wondered whether he had been that ruthless all along, or whether he had changed because of her. She held out the music box. "Break it," she said. "Open it up and look inside. There's no way Vicious would give you this out of generosity." Gren stared at her and she pressed the little device into his hands.

He prized the box open. Inside was a little microchip connected to a battery. A solar transmitter. Julia plucked it out, threw it on the floor and stamped on it, crushing the chip beneath her foot.

"He's trying to kill you, just like he's trying to kill me."

Gren looked at the detritus of little pieces on his carpet, unable to understand. As if Vicious hadn't already caused him enough pain... He stood up shakily, looking away from her. He grabbed the sofa to support himself. "I'm going to bed," he said. "You can crash here tonight. Take a shower, do whatever you want."

"Gren..."

He disappeared into his room, leaving Julia holding the remains of the little music box, feeling confused and guilty and unsure of what to do. She picked up the pieces of the solar transmitter and threw them out, then found some blankets in a dresser drawer and threw one over the sofa, wishing she had been able to get her things from the Barracuda. She made sure her gun was fully loaded and put it on the coffee table where she would be able to grab it if anything happened. Finally she laid down, exhausted, and pulled the blanket around her.


	3. Memento

_I don't mind saying the first part of this chapter was the most fun to write :D._

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GOODNIGHT JULIA: Memento

_"Come on, Vicious. Or are you too scared?"_

_Vicious looked at the garish, straw-covered display contemptuously. Spike was holding a rifle over his shoulder, playing with his lighter in one hand. The Tharsis fair only happened once a year, but it brought with it a whole array of exciting games, thrilling rides and, most importantly for the Syndicate enforcers, drug dealers who had skipped out on them last year. Spike figured that if they were going to pop a cap in someone's ass they might as well take advantage of the situation._

_Currently he was challenging Vicious to a game that required him to shoot little wooden targets for prizes._

_"I'm sure Julia would appreciate a memento that for once isn't covered with blood," Spike said._

_Julia clung to Vicious' arm and looked at the display herself. She did like the look of first prize - a hamper of cigarettes and cheap alcohol, but suspected Spike wanted it more than she did. He was probably just wanting to wind Vicious up as Julia had no doubt Spike could knock down the targets himself._

_"It's fixed," Vicious said flatly._

_Spike shrugged, a small, knowing smile on his face. "Well, alright. Suit yourself."_

_Vicious' eyebrow twitched, trying not to let Spike bait him. It was difficult._

_"I get it. You just don't want to mess up in front of her," Spike continued. Vicious grabbed the gun from him._

_"Pay the man, Julia."_

_Julia and Spike shared an amused look and Julia handed the stall owner - a grumpy, pot-bellied man in a grubby baseball cap - ten woolongs._

_Spike stuck a cigarette in his mouth and stood behind Vicious, making comments about his bad posture and pointing out that the guns at fairs was always terrible so he should probably aim three inches to the left. Vicious, finally fed up, squeezed the trigger five times. Five 1st prize wooden targets smashed and fell down._

_"Not bad," Spike said as Julia went to collect their prize. He took the rifle and shot down five more targets almost instantaneously. He handed Julia the prize, which was a huge stuffed brown bear half the size of her. It was wearing a red bow-tie. She gave Spike the hamper, unable to carry both prizes._

_When they caught up with Vicious he was pocketing a little paper bag he'd just bought from the vendor. He eyed the bear coldly and checked his watch. "Alright, we'd better go. There's an empty house opposite the ferris wheel. That's where they hang out."_

_"Sounds good," Spike said as if Vicious was giving him the directions to a top notch restaurant. Spike dropped the basket in front of Julia and waved goodbye. Vicious kissed her and handed her the paper bag, pressing it into her hands. "It made me think of you," he said softly. The two of them wandered off, leaving Julia to try and figure out how to cart both the basket and the bear back home. She placed the bear on top of the basket and just about managed to see through its fluffy armpit._

_When she got back home, she sat down on the sofa and pulled out the little bag. There was a music box inside, and according to the little tag the song was called "Goodnight Julia." She thought it was a nice gift, though wondered whether Vicious only bought it because he thought that she might take Spike's words to heart._

_A few months later she gave it back. It was the only thing he'd ever given her and now she didn't want it. What kind of man bought their girlfriend a stupid music box anyway? She was angry at him for being so cold and for only acting when Spike suggested it, so she left it at his apartment one night with a note attached that said she was sorry. The next time they saw each other he questioned her about it and she asked him why he'd never done anything nice for her without Spike saying something first. He left, looking like he always did, with that emotionless face that gave nothing away._

* * *

Julia woke up and rubbed her aching head. She wondered where she was. It wasn't a place she recognized. The events of the previous evening ran through her mind and she sat up. This was Gren's apartment.

The clock on the mantle piece said it was 7 am. She went into the kitchen where Gren was eating toast and reading the paper. Such a normal way of life Julia hadn't seen since she left Mars and it reminded her of home. She asked him if she could use the shower and wash her clothes, and he told her there was a spare dressing gown in a cupboard. After a quick, wonderfully refreshing shower, she joined him at breakfast and popped some bread in the toaster.

"How's your leg?"

"I took some painkillers earlier. I'll survive."

"Got any crutches?"

"Yeah but I don't like them."

"Oh God," she sighed. "What is it with men and crutches? They never use them. My boyfriend Spike, he needed to use crutches this one time and almost killed himself falling over, he just refused."

Gren laughed. "Alright, I'll find them I swear."

Toast ready, Julia began examining Gren's selection of fruit preserves. "What's Ophroko Jelly?" she asked.

"A kind of preserve made of Ophroko flowers. They only grow on the surface of Mercury. Helps with depression."

Julia rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Alternative medicine. That reminds me of Spike too." She decided to try some anyway, always willing to attack her taste buds with whatever odd foodstuffs she found in her travels. Julia sat down and began to spread the weird jam on her toast.

"So how come he's not with you?" Gren asked.

"Hmm?"

"Your boyfriend. Spike. Shouldn't he be concerned that you're hanging out in a city like this?"

Julia chewed the toast. The jam tasted like an odd mixture of aniseed and raspberries. "He's gone. He might be dead, for all I know."

"Do you think he's dead?"

"No," Julia said simply.

"How can you be so sure?"

She shrugged and looked up. "What's with all the questions?"

Gren smiled. "Nothing, just curious."

"Good I was starting to think you'd prefer it if I didn't have a boyfriend."

Gren laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not interested. I just wanted to know more about Vicious." He gestured to his leg, "Guess I got more than I bargained for."

"I guess so." She set about making some coffee. "I'm sorry about last night," she said over her shoulder. "The music box... I just didn't want you to fall into the same trap I did."

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad, actually. It answered a few questions I had."

Julia set her cup down and sat at the table again. She planned on buying some clothes - she'd probably have to settle for men's clothes until she left Blue Crow - and some essentials before finding a motel to stay in. Vicious would probably send more goons out looking for her if she didn't leave town, but she liked to think that for the moment she was safe.

After she finished the coffee, she went to check on the dryer. Her clothes were clean so she put them on and met Gren in the lounge. He'd found his crutches and was testing them out.

"How do I look?" he asked, walking in one big circle.

She laughed at him. "You look like an injured sloth. But give it a few weeks and your leg will be as good as new."

Gren flopped onto the sofa, tired out. "It's harder than it looks, you know."

He opened his sax case and took out the polishing cloth. It was a grubby sax, and the cloth was even grubbier, but at least he made the effort. "So you haven't told me why you're on the run," he said.

Julia, who was looking out of the window to see if there were any cars parked suspiciously outside, turned. "You're still curious?"

Gren nodded. "I'm guessing Spike has something to do with it."

Ignoring Lin's advice, Julia sat down and told him. She was glad that Gren understood her feelings for Vicious and why she'd fallen for him in the first place. She told him about Spike and the attack that had caused him to fall into her care.

"What was he like?" Gren asked, more than a little interested.

Julia sighed. "He was... Unbelievable. Funny, stupid, serious when he had to be... I didn't realize until we were alone that he was the reason I still wanted to be with Vicious. I was afraid if I didn't have Vicious I'd lose Spike. He made me feel safe and happy. And he had these eyes..." Julia hugged herself, remembering Spike so clearly, lying next to her under the covers, whispering her name. "So strange, looking straight into his eyes."

She told him about Spike's decision to leave the Syndicate, how Vicious had set him up and about the graveyard and the choice Vicious gave her. It felt good to talk about it - she hadn't told anyone since she left and now she had found someone who understood she felt as though she was releasing all that pent up drama and could finally think clearly for the first time. Gren was a good listener. He kept polishing the same spot on his saxophone, and now there was a big shiny patch on the brass.

"So what'll you do now?"

"Keep running, I guess. Until I find Spike. If he's dead then I'll... I don't know. I guess I'll go back to Mars and face the music."

* * *

Afterwards, Julia made a list of all the things she would need to buy then stood on the balcony and risked a call to Lin. He was worried that she was hiding out in the city but glad she wasn't hurt. He told her Blue Crow was probably the best place in the solar system to lie low since so many people went there exactly for that reason. Apparently Vicious' reaction to the news she had escaped wasn't very well received.

"He's sent more people looking for you. Stock up on supplies and then get out. I've got a contact on Ganymede who has a new ID for you and a plane. I'll get you the address some time soon. Book a shuttle tonight if you can."

She thanked Lin and hung up, then went back into the apartment to find Gren with an old back pack full of food and other supplies.

"You really don't have to -" she began before he dumped it into her arms. "You've done too much already."

"Just take it. If they find you before you can buy anything else at least you'll have this."

She slung it on and stood by the door, not knowing how to thank him properly - not just for the food, but also for listening to her story and letting her ramble on about things that he had no reason to care about.

"It's ok," he said, when she had opened and closed her mouth for the third time. "I'm just as grateful to you as you are to me... Take care. I hope you find Spike."

She smiled, "I'll see you around."

* * *

The range of clothes in Blue Crow ranged from men's to transvestite. Julia bought some new cargo pants and a couple of thick, woolly jumpers and there was one pretty dress she found amongst the more dubious ones. She also found a nice pair of sunglasses, though what they were doing selling sunglasses on Callisto she had no idea.

There was some activity around her as she went around the town. She wondered whether that was because she was a woman or because the Syndicate were creating a buzz. Either way she didn't like it. After taking a cab to the spaceport, she booked a shuttle to Ganymede. Once she was through the gate in the waiting area, she rooted through her backpack and found that Gren had given her a jar of Ophroko preserve. She smiled at that. The shuttle was called and she sat in her comfy seat and stuck on the headphones to listen to the radio.

Maybe it was the warm seat, or the fact there wasn't anyone shooting her. Maybe the jam actually worked. Whatever it was, Julia felt less burdened than she had done yesterday. She knew that times would get tough and she'd have to fight her way out of it, but she felt less afraid of that and looked forward to the times when she wouldn't be in danger, to the day she would find Spike, and to the day she could go back to Mars. Even if that never happened, she promised herself she'd still look forward to it. She stared out of the window and saw Callisto, a tiny blue marble against the colossal redness of Jupiter.

"Would you like any beverages, ma'am?" asked a passing hostess, flashing her a dazzling smile.

"You got any Emeraude Fury?"

"You're a brave one ain'tcha? I'll just go fetch some for you."

Julia smiled. Brave, huh? Yeah. Maybe.

SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY...

* * *

_Thanks for reading ! Please add a review if you have time :)_


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